Advice For Women Changing Careers At 50 And Beyond

Respected publisher, entrepreneur, counsellor and author Judy Piatkus shares her advice for women looking for a new challenge and career.

If you're looking for a new beginning at work and don't know where to start, this should help you focus and take the vital step in the right direction.

Believe in yourself and have confidence in yourself. Over your lifetime you will have learned so much more than you realise. Now is the time to take stock.

Take the time to reflect about and list all the different skills you have acquired. Work with supportive friends and family to ensure you are aware of all your talents.

Consider going on a confidence-building course so that you feel equipped to face whatever the future holds for you.

Clear your calendar and take as much time out for yourself as you can manage. If your diary is full of things you have to do, there won’t be time for you to find out what you really want to do. Think about your dreams, needs and desires. Now is the perfect time to try to fulfil them.

There are hundreds of local courses offering skills-training for all different kinds of work. If you need to improve or update your skills, you can easily do that by enrolling on a short course.

Find out how to present your CV in a way that shows your skills and achievements to best advantage. Ensure it looks modern and up-to-date.

Learn how to write an interesting cover letter. If you need help with this, think about who you know who could advise you.

Make sure you look the part and feel good about how you look - and I don’t mean worrying about your weight. Especially if presentation is likely to matter in your new life.

Women are not always very good at asking for what they want. Rather than change jobs you might just want to go to your boss and ask for a change in hours, days worked or anything else that would make your life easier to manage.

Determine to use this special time in your life to fulfil your dreams. Aim for the stars. Most of us do not know what we are capable of achieving until we go out there and try.

About Judy Piatkus

Judy Piatkus is a well-respected publisher and entrepreneur, counsellor and author. She is the founder of Piatkus Books, one of the pioneers in mind, body and spirit publishing in the UK, which she sold last year, after almost 30 years. Piatkus Books was Judy's third business venture and her second publishing company. In 2005 Judy won the Women in Publishing Pandora Award.

Judy’s passion is giving people the opportunity to see aspects of their lives and the way that society functions in a new and different way. Whether it is by reading a Piatkus book, talking through issues close to the heart or hearing her speak, she loves to gently offer people the opportunity to think differently about how they live and why they behave in the way that they do.